The Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program offers professional development opportunities for pre- and in-service K-12 teachers and librarians that include workshops, seminars, online courses, graduate courses, and mentoring. These activities are designed and implemented by members of an educational consortium, administered by the Library of Congress, made up of K-12 schools, universities, foundations and libraries.
Currently, there are 15 TPS partners in five states: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Library of Congress is in the process of developing a Virtual Institute through which teachers who do not live within proximity to existing consortium members can take online courses.
Professional development activities under Teaching with Primary Sources progress along three program levels. Teachers have the option of taking courses under all or some of these levels, depending on their interests.
Level One – Foundation Program
- Orientation to using the Library of Congress Web site (purpose for going to the site, understanding the structure of the site, navigating the site, understanding and interacting with digital collections of primary sources)
- Introduction to primary sources (definition, purpose, value, instructional uses in curricula and the course of learning)
- Development of primary source-based inquiry learning activities
Level Two – Advanced Program
- Interdisciplinary and/or subject-specific applications of digitized primary sources
- Development of evaluation strategies and instruments
- Seminars (reflecting on experiences)
Level Three – Library of Congress Ambassador Program
- Field-testing and publishing Library of Congress primary source-based inquiry learning experiences for a national audience
- Disseminating exemplary primary source-based learning experiences at local, state and/or national venues
- Serving at the school, school district, or state level with the TPS program or mentoring other teachers
- Presenting exemplary TPS products at educational conferences
- Reviewing additional content for the Library of Congress Web site for teachers
- Publishing in online and print journals
Professional development activities, with the exception of graduate courses, are free of charge. Many offer continuing education or graduate credit.
For more information, please contact a consortium member in your state. If there is not a member in your state, please contact Educational Outreach staff for information about upcoming online courses available through the Virtual Institute.